The Air Force's Newest MQ-9 Reaper Drone Is Now Hunting ISIS

The U.S. Air Force ‘s newest MQ-9 Reaper drone, the Block 5 variant, has begun hunting the Islamic State, the service said. The medium-altitude drone, nicknamed the “hunter-killer” and made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego, this week flew its first mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, the Air Force announced in a release. The Block 5 variant features updated electrical and communications systems, and works with the new Block 30 cockpit, according to the release. During the June 23 sortie, the crew of the remotely piloted aircraft fired a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition and two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles at ISIS targets while also providing hours of reconnaissance to support ground forces, the release states. The release didn’t say where the strike occurred, but the U.S. military has seen historic aerial warfare in Syria ...